Racing would become a rather long procession.
I disagree. Having decent tires that allowed the drivers to actually RACE, rather then traipse daintily around asking their pits if it is is OK to take the fight to a driver ahead would do wonders for the sport. For one thing, it would eliminate the mounds of rolled up rubber lurking just off the racing line. That clag, as David Hobbes calls it, means a driver dare not attempt to find a different racing line, for fear of spinning off into the weeds. Eliminate the clag and you open up the possibility of using the entire track, which could enable all sorts of bold driving. It would allow drivers to actually brake effectively off line into turns and who knows what that might lead to!?
A major overhaul of the entire formula is needed though, specifically the reliance on aero.
Could not agree more. Aero is boring. Much if not all the flapdoodle about tires, KERS and DRS results directly from the enormous downforce generated by aero. I notice watching V8 SuperCars last weekend that they seem to put on a pretty good race using no external aero devices other than a rear wing on the deck lid. IndyCar also seems to make do quite nicely with a modest aero package.
Other than providing inspiration to generations of inner city youths who like to add "aero" packages to their 14 year old Civics for the stop light grand prix, aero means nothing to those watching the race. But it, above all things, has led to the ruination of the sport.
Here's an idea. Delete the aero and you can dispense with all the gimmicks designed to promote passing. The passing will happen without artificial inducement and we can finally get back to watching racing again, instead of speculating endlessly about whether the new floor on the Caterham or the new diffuser on the Marusia will transform either into contenders. It would also allow Adrian Newey to retire gracefully from the sport and apply his prodigious body of knowledge to other areas where aero really IS important - like aircraft design!
And for those who would like to see some sort of open engine formula limited only by fuel flow or air inlet size or some other constraint that would allow engineers to experiment with a range of engine choices, I echo the words of that famous statesman and eloquent exponent of freedom around the globe, President George W. Bush, to wit: "Bring it ON!" [-o<
